Pooh Teddy Bear To Blame For Blocked Sewers, Says Scottish Water

A Winnie the Pooh teddy, a pink bike and a fax machine were among the bizarre items clogging sewers last year.

The unusual objects were pulled from a drain in East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire by Scottish Water workers.

Not the sort of Pooh Scottish Water wants to see down the drains

Hundreds of unusual items contributed to more than 40,000 blockages to the drain and sewer network across Scotland, the utility company said.

Among these were a pair of jeans, pants, mobile phones, toy soldiers, a deckchair, false teeth and a golf club.

On one occasion a credit card stolen from a Scottish Water worker turned up on the screens of the sewage works.

Scottish Water said around 80% of the blockages were caused by people putting the wrong things down sinks and toilets.

Most were caused by cooking fat and oils, or bathroom waste such as cotton buds, nappies and baby wipes.

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The company has launched a campaign to stop people flushing rubbish down their drains, highlighting the £7 million annual cost to taxpayers.

Chris Wallace, director of communications at Scottish Water, said: "The waste water drain which runs from your house to the public sewer is usually only about four inches wide, which is less than the diameter of a DVD.

"This drain is designed to take only the used water from sinks, showers and baths and pee, poo and toilet paper from the toilet.

"Scottish Water believes the best way to tackle blocked drains and sewer flooding is to work with our customers to prevent blockages that can clog up the cycle in the first place."